The Mysterious Stranger (The Confidence Game 3)
“And you thought they’d like a tree. Maybe you’re not all the cards in the deck, hustler. You don’t want to go encouraging that level of desperate, especially when you have way better options.”
“Cadence is smart and funny, if you took the time to get to know her.” Shit, wished he hadn’t said that. The further Chuck stayed from Cadence the better.
Chuck gave an exaggerated shiver. “Someone will have to fuck a baby into her this year. It doesn’t have to be you.”
He stopped walking. “Anyone ever told you you’re a misogynistic piece of garbage?”
Chuck laughed, turning back to face Zeke. “My ex-wife. Why do you think I’m here and she’s out there decaying?” He shrugged. “Maybe now she’ll understand the consequences of not doing what I told her.”
Zeke had height, weight and reach over Chuck, who was unarmed. And a head of steam building. If he knocked the man out now he could go on alone. It would make retrieving the phone a heck of a lot easier. “I don’t find that funny.”
“Not here for your amusement.”
“Don’t need you here at all.” Maybe there was a way to save everyone in Abundance except Chuck.
“We don’t want the city slicker getting lost on company time. I’m following you into the forest, so you can get a tree for your fruitcake sidepiece. Don’t go picking a fight with me.”
It wouldn’t take much to knock him out, he’d have to explain why, though gun to the throat lack of appreciation would probably do it.
“Now if I said I’d give my left nut to fuck your sister just one time, then you could take a swing at me.”
Zeke flattened his voice, but his firsts curled. “Are you saying that?” This could all become really simple.
Chuck took a step back and held up both hands. “I’d give both nuts.”
Fuck.
“And so would every man here, but Orrin has her favored so no one is going to touch her until after he’s finished with her.”
That shouldn’t have made him feel lighter. “Mention wanting to fuck Rosie again and I’m going to remember you stuck a cocked fucking rifle in my face and I’ll knock your teeth out.”
He was worried enough about Rory. She was back at the settlement doing everything she could to find the signal jammer and avoid Orrin’s attention and five days was a long time to be out of contact with her. Five days and four nights remembering how she’d demolished Earl and come after him, and how close he’d come to kissing her after he stole her donut. Ah, hell, she was giving him the donut, because she knew he needed it, just wanted him to work for it. Wanted to know she could still trust him.
Five days and four nights thinking about how he’d almost kissed her lips after he licked her fingers.
Which would’ve been a spectacularly boneheaded mistake. Everything she didn’t need.
Chuck laughed. “My advice, that you aren’t asking for. Fuck Susan as soon as possible, man, before she goes cold on you.”
Zeke strode past Chuck. “You fuck Susan.”
From a couple of paces behind he heard Chuck say, “Been there done that. Enjoyed the ride. Got a kid out of it.”
One punch, that’s all it would take for Chuck to be seeing stars before they showed in the sky. Would be worth opening up the blisters on his palm again. “Talk about something else.” Definitely leaving Chuck behind.
“Nothing else more pleasing to talk about than women you want to fuck.”
“What if I was gay?”
Chuck caught up. “Hey, I’m here for you liking it that way. But you still have to make babies, man. You can be gay as you want, so long as you make someone pregnant every year.”
That was fucking abusive, but he held his tongue. He’d signed up for this. “How many kids do you have?”
“Eight. And one on the way. That’s why you need to have babies because my own kids can’t be fucking each other.”
Jesus Christ. “Can we talk about anything else?”
“What do you want to talk about? You want to talk about growing up with Rosie?”